in this digital era, it’s now evident that social media is and will remain key when it comes to sharing information. The platform, due to its impact, carries with it lots of advantages for those in business. Julius Zigama, an art tutor believes that when it comes to business, social media is a powerful tool. However, he thinks that there should be habits that need to be practiced in order to reap its benefits. He outlines that things such as self-branding, company branding, daily posting/publication, being informed are among aspects that one should consider. Zigama, who is also an entrepreneur, says when it comes to being informed, one has to possess all the information or knowledge that they need regarding their business and what is required of them. It’s essential to put into consideration that knowing and understanding customer needs is at the centre of every successful business, and that without this, your enterprise is likely to flop, he says. He goes on to add that when it comes to using social media for business, posting daily comes with an advantage. “The way one targets their audience is what will decide whether they need to post on a daily basis, on alternate days of the week, or maybe just go for one post a week. Again, all this depends on how active and how interactive your audience is,” he says. He notes that it is always better to focus on the quality of your content rather than focusing on the quantity of your social media posts. Festus Irungu Ndirangu, a lecturer at Mount Kenya University says its essential to use social media to market your business but the first thing you should do, is to have a plan on how to use social media to reach your target customers. He says that it’s also important to understand the legal and ethical requirements when posting on social media. Here, he explains that if that is not followed, the system might take advantage of your business, for example if you post something harmful for instance, defamation post or when you use a copyrighted image or content. Also, the lecturer notes that one should be aware of other legal issues like privacy law and childrens rights, noting that one should as well invest in learning about online media and marketing. You shouldn’t assume you know all about social media because you have a personal account. Apply for classes on social media, universities have courses like online journalism and digital marketing that are perfect to understand social media tools, he says. “Taking online courses on digital marketing which are free are vital. If not, one should consider hiring a qualified social media manager as its worth investing since most customers are now on social media,” he adds. There is also need to ensure that there is consistent use of the same messages on the entire platform. Even the message on traditional media like TV, newspaper, or radio should be the same as that being spread on social media. This ensures synergy and consistency in branding the organisation products and corporate image.
